JRC News

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A JRC report assessing Europe's potential for pumped hydropower, the most used electricity storage, revealed that for a set of countries for which comparable data are available, the current storage capacity could be increased by up to 10 times when new plants are based on one existing reservoir. A larger capacity to store energy would allow a higher penetration of renewable energies and would support the EU's efforts to reach its goal of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020.

An extensive set of best environmental management practices (BEMPs) has been identified and analysed by the JRC to allow organisations within the retail trade sector to minimise their direct and indirect impact on the environment. In its comprehensive report, the JRC describes several techniques, measures and actions to improve the energy performance, the sustainability of the supply chain, transport and logistics, waste and water management, and to influence consumer behaviour and consumption.

With the close cooperation of the US mission to the EU, the JRC organised a high-level meeting on Thursday 26 September in order to examine the scientific potential to support eco-industries and technologies on both sides of the Atlantic.

The European Commission has recently adopted revised Best Available Techniques (BAT) conclusions for the production of pulp, paper and board, and for the refining of mineral oil and gas, following respective positive votes of the Regulatory Committee foreseen in article 75 of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) 2010/75/EU.

A new JRC report shows the status of energy consumption (up to 2010) in the EU-27 residential and tertiary sectors, with a special focus on the electricity consumption of main household appliances and equipment. Conclusions show that the increasing number and use of appliances and equipment has kept energy and electricity consumption either stable or increasing in the sectors studied.

The JRC and the Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (ECREE) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration at the occasion of the Vienna Energy Forum, organised by the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). This cooperation framework will facilitate the development of common tools (e.g. country specific maps with renewable energy based electricity costs), validation of results and publication.

Less fish landed but higher market prices helped the EU fishing fleet stay profitable in 2011. Indeed, the economic performance of the EU fleet has improved gradually over recent years, from a net profit margin of 1% in 2008 to 6% in 2011. These are some of the main findings of the 2013 Annual Economic Report (AER) on the European Fishing Fleet, produced by the JRC and independent experts.

Denmark, France, Ireland and Spain have shown strong growth in the past few years, while Hungary appears to be the sole EU country affected by a clear decline of the Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) market.

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Mission

As the Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre's mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle. Working in close cooperation with policy Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing new methods, tools and standards, and sharing its know-how with the Member States, the scientific community and international partners.